8 TV Free Activities for Spring Break
My husband is a teacher so we usually stay home during spring break. Our weather can be iffy so it is not always a break where we can spend our time outdoors. I’m always looking for ways to get my kids engaged in TV free activities.
If I can get them interacting with each other that’s even better! As much as I want to add clean this and clean that to the list I will try to keep it fun for the kids! Here’s to a Spring Break that is filled with TV free activities!
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1. Get in the Kitchen:
Sugar Cookies with Frosting is always a favorite at my house. Have an excess of old bananas in the freezer? This would be a great time to have the kids learn how to bake banana bread. Have them plan a meal and help them cook it. Experiment with new smoothie flavors. Have a contest to see who can create the best one.
2. Have a game day:
Let everyone pick their favorite game and play a round of each one. At my house, we have some kids that like strategy games and some that like card games. A few of our favorites include:
Phase Ten
Munchins
Sorry
Uno
Golf
Apples to Apples
3. Do a Photo Scavenger Hunt:
Hand the kids a camera or a phone and a list and let them play. You can make the list silly, or artsy, indoor or outdoor subjects. If you have a rainy day a lot of malls offer scavenger hunts as well. Sign up below to get my free printable Photo Scavenger Hunt!
Or create your own. The possibilities are endless! I love when they come back inside to show me all their pictures.
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4. Make a stop motion video:
This can be a great project because it can be long or short. We have used legos, clay, and scrapbooking letters. This is fun for the kids to come up with a storyline on their own and then implement it. While this uses technology I feel okay about it because it is not a passive activity.
5. Make toys for your pet:
If you have pets see if you can gather up supplies to make some toys for them. You could make some for a local animal shelter if you don’t have a pet of your own. Do some research to see what is safe for the animal you are making the toy for. We have rabbits so we don’t want things they can chew up except for cardboard. Here are some items you can use to make toys for small animals:
bells
2-liter bottle caps with a hole drilled in the middle
egg cartons-cut each little egg cup out
pieces of cardboard
bolts and washers
yarn- for a cat you can crochet some cute cat toys
empty toilet paper tubes
small pieces of wood (make sure there is no paint or stain on it if your pet likes to chew)
6. Set up a puzzle:
I know this could go under the game category but we get big puzzles so they take a couple of days to complete. Two out of my three kids love puzzles. Even so, it surprises me how often the puzzle becomes a gathering place where some nice conversations happen.
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7. Build something or make something:
My boys like to build stuff and my daughter likes to sew. Spring break can be a great time to get a jump start on Christmas presents. Below are a few suggestions:
build a footstool or bench
make a birdhouse
construct a bat house
build a nest box for chicken or rabbit
make a cookbook stand
sew a needle book
make a pincushion
put together an easy skirt for Easter
sew a doll quilt
make an apron
The State Fair is a big deal around our house. You don’t have to be in 4-H to enter stuff into the fair. Kids and adults can enter in the open category. Our fair has every category of crafting imaginable. Check out my Fair Craft Ideas board on Pinterest:
8. Visit an Escape Room:
Escape rooms are a new form of live-action entertainment where you solve puzzles and mysteries. This hour-long, locked room adventure gives you a chance to find clues, crack codes, and solve puzzles to be able to escape. Usually, you can choose from several different story-lines/scenarios that will set up the mystery you are trying to solve.
Do your research as there is a wide range of scenarios. Our local Escape Room has a rating system by intensity. My son went to a birthday party where they had to solve a mystery and find their way out of the “room”. He talked about this for days afterward. I was amazed to see how smart a group of 5th graders can be. The lady at the front desk said that the kids had figured out the mystery faster than a lot of adult groups do.
Escape rooms can be a little on the pricey side but can make a fun special outing.
My kids seem to gravitate toward the TV and computer out of boredom. I am working on having less “passive” entertainment in my house. When it doesn’t work it is because I am being lazy and taking the easy way out. It is hard to swim against the current of our culture. Be encouraged and keep up the good fight!
Have any comments or tips? I’d love to hear them. Please feel free to comment below. Let’s start a conversation!
